Best Of The Fests For Kids

Together with the yearly Best of the Fests series (see under "Miscellaneous"), this showcase of independent short films represents a quantum leap forward in making quality award-winning shorts available to a large audience. In the eight films included on this tape, AV librarians will recognize some classics in the field such as Peg McClure Moudy's Housecats, an animated slice-of-life portrait of Scratch and Squeak, a pair of duelling housecats; Valerie Swanson's breathtaking Charlie's Boogie Woogie, in which animated characters perform seamless boogie-woogie dances to a footstomping piano beat; and Chel White's Metal Dogs of India, an explosion of color and sound, and winner of numerous Children's Film Festival awards. Other selections include: Jonathan Lyons' The Rooster, the story of an independent rooster who crows when the sun goes down; Bill Snider's Skip It, an energetic look at children jumping rope; and Phil McKenney's Travels of a Dollar Bill, in which an old dollar bills tells his life story to his grandchildren: a nickel and a penny. One of the best bargains available on video (any one of these titles would normally cost triple the price for the whole collection), Best of the Fests for Kids is a refreshing alternative to the commercial pabulum typical of most children's video. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (Available from: Picture Start, 221 E. Cullerton, 6th Floor, Chicago, IL 606616.)